Wednesday, July 29, 2015

I will post this video and the
translated transcript of Royce the Child Soldier of the Vostok Brigade. Please
go to this previous blog post to read more
about him.

Russian TV did not specify the boys' exact
age, but in an earlier interview broadcast on Finnish YLE
television this year Royce said he was 15. He was shown flanked by two
young men wearing balaclavas, one of whom claimed to be 17.

Rois: Me? Yes, I think I
got courage even though I’m afraid to die, but I am more worried about my
Motherland than about my own life. Fear of death is on a second place after
fear for my motherland.

0:43
to 0:53

Rois: We are now in a
sub-unit of the brigade Vostok. My call-name is Rois. I’m a Patriot. I am 15
years old.

0:54
to 1:14

Rois
(loading a magazine with bullets): What’s my responsibility? Large
responsibility. I’m giving to people kind of knowledge which they can’t get
anywhere else. They are going to the war. So, anything new they learn now,
that’s all they can use in military operation. (Loading his rifle with a magazine): First of all, I have to look
after my team, like you do with children. Have to bring them to dinner, arrange
beds for guys who arrive here. And of course I have to train them. (Walking away): It’s not just how to
handle a weapon, we also go to the training ground. And we are training there
to walk and to move.

Soldier
(right in balaclava):
We used to have a club…something like a military patriot society. And
afterwards…our trainer came here and when he settled in, he called us to join.
He made us an offer so to say and we accepted it, why not

Journalist: You didn’t meet
Andrey before, right?

Soldier
(left with balaclava): We did! We are from the same city – We studied in the
same school

Journalist:
Aha…so
all of you have been studying together. But Andrey is younger, right?

Rois: Yes…I came here with
my father, as volunteers. He came first and I join him a bit later.

Soldier
(left with balaclava): He’s two years younger than me and I didn’t expect at
all to meet him here. I came here with a friend of mine, that’s him. I was
totally surprised when I saw him here. Because boys, not even 18 (and he is 15
years old!) came here to fight. While there are 20 year old guys, who served in
the army and got good military experience but they are staying at home, hiding
in their basements during the shelling [2:39 to 3:02]

Journalist:
So,
you are staying in a casern here…but what do you do in your free time?

Soldier
(right in balaclava):
We are doing chin ups… all kinds of sports.

Soldier
(left with balaclava): And just chilling out too.

3:17
to 4:09

Rois: There are lots of interesting
books about arms. Well, I’m still at school, I’d have holidays now. So, I’d be
outside whole day, playing football with friends. Doing things what any
teenager likes. But football goes first, I like it a lot. I was even thinking
about bringing my soccer ball here. To kick a ball in my free time…

Journalist:
Did
you bring it already?

Rois: No. I don’t have much
free time

Journalist:
Do
you feel sometimes that you miss your old life?

Rois: Yes of course. But
mostly in the evening when I’m finally in bed and can relax and think about
life. I thought that if I was 18 years old, I’d come here for sure, I wouldn’t
be killing anyone. But after my father came here, I asked him to get permission
for me to join too.

4:10
to 4:17

Rois
(walking next to his dad): Nobody wanted to take a minor…it took a very long time to
make all the arrangement. But finally, it went through, my father took me here
and I’m really happy!

Sergei
(Rois’s father): Guys
have a lot of respect for him because he is so young, but in a uniform and with
a gun and he’s training them. It doesn’t bother them at all. On the contrary:
it wins their hearts. It attracts them that someone is so young that shouldn’t
be fighting in a war yet but he’s here with weapons in his hands and he’s doing
something good here.

One more thing I like to add: we got
patriotic young guys who are ready to fight fascism with all their heart! I
have a lot of respect for them and I respect my son’s choice and I’m 100%
behind him.

4:57
to 5:18

Rois: My mother and
grandmothers would still prefer me to come back have a peaceful life, close to
them

Journalist:
And
what would you reply to them?

Rois: I’m going to tell
themthat I’ll go back to this kind
of life after our victory, back to a quiet and peaceful life…together with
them. They shouldn’t worry.

Rois: I think it’s very
hard. What if this person isn’t evil, maybe he was forced to come here?Maybe he got a family back home, wife
and kids. But when they come here to kill our brothers and families, we don’t
have any other choice but to shoot them back. But it’s really hard, nobody
wants to do that.

6:40
to 7:06

Rois: I’m sure I’ll get
good memories for the future because after we win (and I’m sure about that)
then you can tell your friends where you’ve been…It won’t be dangerous anymore.
And you’ll have good memories and everyone will be proud of you that in such a
difficult situation, you didn’t leave the country and didn’t hide in a basement
but join your brothers to defend your land. But we’ll feel sorry for the people
who died in this meaningless war.